Only Time
by Stripes McKee
Summary: When Axle brings Mem to live with him, he gives her a name, a home, a life. But what will she do when he's gone? (i suck at summaries, so just read it!!!)
1. Memories...lost and found

AN: Though I ask Santa every year, I don't own the newsies in this story, so DON'T SUE ME! I'm a writer, and I don't own anything valuable except for my computer!  
  
The only characters I own, are Memory/Stripes, Axle, Whip, and Smoke.  
  
All the other characters own themselves  
  
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Brrrrr… A small child wandered around a corner.  
  
It was the middle of the night on Christmas Eve, and no time for a kid to be out of the streets.  
  
The child staggered, and leaned against the wall of a nearby building, shivering with cold.  
  
C'mon, keep movin'! Ya gotta keep goin'!  
  
As the child stepped again onto the streets, a dark form ran around the corner, and rammed straight into it.  
  
"Watch wheah ya goin'!" The big figured yelled, and charged off into the swirl of snow that blanketed the streets of New York.  
  
Just as suddenly, a man in the blue uniform of a policeman, barreled around the corner, and stopped when he saw the fallen child.  
  
"You there! Did a boy just run through here?"  
  
The child pointed a shaking finger in the opposite direction the culprit had taken.  
  
Without even a word of thanks, the man hurried off.  
  
After staggering to its feet, the child looked up into the swirl of snow pouring from the sky.  
  
Face da truth. Ya ain't gonna make it through tanight.  
  
"Hey kid."  
  
The child whirled, to find the escaping thief standing a few feet away.  
  
"Thanks fer getting' dat bull offa me back. I know I'se didn't 'zactly desiove dat, bein' so mean an' all."  
  
The child shrugged, and the thief looked quizically at it.  
  
"Why ain't ya home wi't yer folks? Ya lost?"  
  
The child looked at the ground, and said softly, "I don't remembah."  
  
The thief's eyes widened. "Hey! You'se a goil!"  
  
She nodded, and the thief held out his hand. "I'se Axel."  
  
The girl looked at the ground, and did not move.  
  
"Hey!" said Axle, getting angry. "What? Ya don't wanna be friends wit' da likes a me?"  
  
He turned angrily away, heading back into the snow-filled streets.  
  
"No!" shouted the girl, running up and tugging on his sleeve.  
  
"I jist…I jist...I can't remembah me name."  
  
Axle's eyes widened. "Den will jist have a give ya one, won't we!"  
  
He crouched down to eye-level with the girl. "Do ya remembah anythin'? Parent's names, birthday, wheah ya live, how old ya are, anythin'?"  
  
She shook her head. "I don't even know why I'se out heah." Suddenly, her eyes teared up, and she launched herself at Axle.  
  
Surprised, he barely got his arms open, before she latched on to him, sobbing into his shirt.  
  
Awkwardly, he patted her head. "Dere, dere. Let's have none a dat."  
  
He pulled out a handkerchief, and mopped her tear-stained face with it.  
  
"Well, since ya can't remembah nothin' we'se jist gonna call ya Mem'ry."  
  
Memory sniffed, and wiped her eyes, as Axle took her hand.  
  
"C'mon. You'se kin come home wit' me. Da boys'll love you'se. Ya don't mind doin' a liddle thievery do ya?"  
  
With that, they disappeared into the snow. 


	2. Only Time

1 Memory grunted softly, as she searched for a toehold on the wall. She was hanging only by her fingertips from the gutter of a jewelry store.  
  
I can't wait 'till Axle sees dis lift!  
  
Climbing stealthily down the wall, she mentally thought about where the bulls would be.  
  
Foity-fouth… Brown…Jackson…All cleah.  
  
Once she reached the ground, she melted into the shadows, a trick that had taken Axle several days to teach her.  
  
Staying in the shadows, she headed for home.  
  
Reaching the run-down apartment, she clambered up the fire escape, and entered the very top window.  
  
1.1 The room was empty, the dust disturbed only a few moths flitting on the windowpanes.  
  
1.2 Wheah is everybody? She had been living in this broken-down apartment since Axle found her on the streets 6 years ago, and she had never seen it empty.  
  
"Axle? Skulls? Somebody?" she whispered.  
  
Only silence answered her.  
  
Until a shadowed form rose from the chair in the corner.  
  
"Memory. How nice to see you."  
  
Memory frowned. "Whip. Wheahs Axle."  
  
Whip smiled, and it was not a pleasant sight. "Oh, Axle. He's busy at the moment. But-"  
  
"Wheah. Is. He." growled Memory, not trusting Whip.  
  
Whip just raised his eyebrows. "Back alley."  
  
Fearing for Axle, she hurried back out the way she had come, and sprinted around to the back of the building.  
  
Anxiously, she searched the alley for her friend.  
  
1.3 Nothin'. Wait…  
  
A pile of rags in the corner shifted, and a hand emerged.  
  
"Oh gawd Axle!"  
  
She sprinted to her friend. Axle was not a pretty sight. Bloody and bruised, he seemed to be drifting in and out of consciousness.  
  
"Axle! C'mon, pull outta it!"  
  
One of his eyes was puffed shut, and a long cut stretched down the right side of his face, narrowly missing his eye.  
  
Suddenly, she lost control of her emotions. Tears poured down her face, and dropped onto her friend's injuries.  
  
"Mem'?" a cracked voice sounded from between bloody lips.  
  
"Axle…" She cushioned his head in her arms. "C'mon! We gotta git ya some help..." she trailed off, as he held up a shaking hand.  
  
Who can say where the road goes,  
  
Where the day flows,  
  
Only time.  
  
2 "No…too late…"  
  
A torrent of sobs shook her body. "No! C'mon Axle! Ya gonna be okay!"  
  
And who can say if your love goes,  
  
As your heart chose,  
  
Only time.  
  
He looked into her eyes, and smiled slightly. "I'll always be wit' ya."  
  
2.1.1 Who can say why your heart sighs,  
  
As your love flies,  
  
Only time.  
  
He touched a hand to her chest. "In heah."  
  
And who can say why your heart cries,  
  
When your love dies,  
  
Only time.  
  
3 His eyes closed, and sobs consumed her.  
  
Only time.  
  
Memory kissed his forehead, and stood.  
  
Only time. 


	3. Robbin' Pulitzah blind

"Awright. I'll do it." Memory slammed her fist on the table.  
  
All the other thieves stepped back shocked. How insane could you get? Volunteering to burgle Joseph Pulitzer's mansion? It was pure suicide.  
  
Memory didn't care. It had been a week since Axle died, and this was the first time she had talked since then.  
  
Whip raised his eyebrows. "Alright then. Memory, you know what to do. I'll expect you back late tonight."  
  
Memory turned away, and headed for the window.  
  
She didn't know what made her do it. Maybe it was the look in Whip's eyes. Maybe it was the way the world seemed to narrow to a point when Whip had explained the heist. Maybe it was the fact that Whip didn't deserve to be the new leader of their gang of theives.  
  
True he had killed Axle, but it hadn't been in combat. And everyone was either too shocked with Axle's death, or too scared to challenge Whip.  
  
I'll do it. No one will protest. 'Specially aftah I rob Pulitzah blind.  
  
When she reached the enormous Pulitzer mansion, Memory looked around.  
  
1.1 Jeez, this guy's livin' like a king! I ain't nevah seen a place so big!  
  
She turned around in a circle, taking in all the splendor.  
  
Enough gawkin'! You'se got a job ta do.  
  
Getting in, and doing the actual stealing was easy enough, but as she was climbing back out, she almost ran into a man in a blue uniform.  
  
1.2 Shit, da bulls are heah!  
  
She retreated farther into the shadows, and watched.  
  
How did dey know I was heah? Da only people dat knew I'se was gonna do a lift heah, was-  
  
Her eyes widened when the culprit wormed his way to her mind's eye.  
  
Whip.  
  
After many close calls, and plenty step retracing, Memory reached the grounds again.  
  
She was half way across the manicured lawn, when a chorus of barks sounded behind her.  
  
1.3 Oh, crap. Dogs!  
  
She gave up trying to be quiet, and sprinted for the gates.  
  
Now she could hear harsh male voices intermingled with the baying of hounds.  
  
She could finally see the gates, but they were closed!  
  
Our faddah,  
  
Who art in heaven,  
  
Hallowed be dy name.  
  
She prayed fiercely, as she looked for an alternate escape route.  
  
Give us dis day,  
  
Our daily bread,  
  
An' fergive us our trespasses,  
  
As we fergive dose who trespass against us.  
  
2 She had no more time for prayer then, for a desperate plan wormed its way into her head.  
  
Aiming for a section of the wall encircling the mansion, she began to climb.  
  
Just as she was almost safe, she felt a searing pain in her ankle.  
  
Looking down, she found the teeth of a large dog, latched around her foot.  
  
Then there were more and more dogs, all grabbing onto her legs, trying to drag her down.  
  
She lost her foothold for first one leg, and then the other, until she was hanging only by her arms.  
  
Seeing several policemen coming, she desperately kicked her legs at the dogs.  
  
Surprisingly, their jaws began to loosen, and with a final kick, she was free.  
  
Clambering over the top of the wall, she dragged herself into the streets, and to safety.  
  
In a nearby alley, she collapsed. Her body was one big, bloody cut, her legs a constant source of burning pain. She pulled back the shreds of her pants, and looked at her injuries.  
  
They were so bad, she almost lost her last meal.  
  
Blood dripped from long, ragged gashes. Most of her flesh was marred, and almost unrecognizable. It was a miracle she had been able to finish climbing the wall, and escape into the streets.  
  
C'mon goily. Ya pulled through da last one. Don't give up now.  
  
She staggered to her feet, ignoring the grinding pain in her legs.  
  
She made it a few steps, before collapsing on the doorstep of some strange building. 


End file.
